IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/reorpe/v52y2020i1p96-114.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Impact of State-Owned Enterprises on China’s Economic Growth

Author

Listed:
  • Hao Qi
  • David M. Kotz

Abstract

This paper considers the impact of state-owned enterprises on economic growth in China. We consider several possible channels through which state-owned enterprises might play a pro-growth role: first, stabilizing growth in economic downturns by carrying out massive investments; second, promoting technical progress by investing in riskier areas of technology; third, by following a high-road approach to treating workers by paying a living wage which is favorable for China to move toward a more sustainable growth model in the future. Our empirical analysis finds that a higher share of state-owned enterprises is favorable to long-run growth and tends to offset the adverse effect of economic downturns on the regional level. JEL Classification : E11, O47, P31

Suggested Citation

  • Hao Qi & David M. Kotz, 2020. "The Impact of State-Owned Enterprises on China’s Economic Growth," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 52(1), pages 96-114, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:reorpe:v:52:y:2020:i:1:p:96-114
    DOI: 10.1177/0486613419857249
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0486613419857249
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0486613419857249?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chang-Tai Hsieh & Zheng (Michael) Song, 2015. "Grasp the Large, Let Go of the Small: The Transformation of the State Sector in China," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 50(1 (Spring), pages 295-366.
    2. Paul Cook & Yuichiro Uchida, 2003. "Privatisation and economic growth in developing countries," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(6), pages 121-154.
    3. Suqin Ge & Dennis Tao Yang, 2014. "Changes In China'S Wage Structure," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 300-336, April.
    4. Phillips, Kerk L. & Kunrong, Shen, 2005. "What effect does the size of the state-owned sector have on regional growth in China?," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 1079-1102, January.
    5. Dic Lo & Guicai Li, 2011. "China's economic growth, 1978-2007: structural-institutional changes and efficiency attributes," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(1), pages 59-84.
    6. Chen, Baizhu & Feng, Yi, 2000. "Determinants of economic growth in China: Private enterprise, education, and openness," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15.
    7. Huang, Xianfeng & Li, Ping & Lotspeich, Richard, 2010. "Economic growth and multi-tasking by state-owned enterprises: An analytic framework and empirical study based on Chinese provincial data," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 160-177, June.
    8. Justin Yifu Lin & Zhiqiang Liu, 2000. "Fiscal Decentralization and Economic Growth in China," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 49(1), pages 1-21.
    9. Loren Brandt & Xiaodong Zhu, 2010. "Accounting for China's Growth," Working Papers tecipa-394, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.
    10. C. Naastepad & Servaas Storm, 2006. "OECD demand regimes (1960-2000)," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(2), pages 211-246.
    11. Susan Helper & Rebecca Henderson, 2014. "Management Practices, Relational Contracts, and the Decline of General Motors," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(1), pages 49-72, Winter.
    12. Chang-Tai Hsieh & Zheng (Michael) Song, 2015. "Grasp the Large, Let Go of the Small: The Transformation of the State Sector in China," NBER Working Papers 21006, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Francois Doamekpor, 1998. "Contributions of State-Owned Enterprises to the Growth of Total Output," International Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(4), pages 65-77.
    14. Hossein Jalilian & John Weiss, 1997. "POLICY ARENA: Bureaucrats, Business and Economic Growth," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 9(6), pages 877-885.
    15. Li, Hongbin & Yang, Zheyu & Yao, Xianguo & Zhang, Haifeng & Zhang, Junsen, 2012. "Entrepreneurship, private economy and growth: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 948-961.
    16. Chang-Tai Hsieh & Zheng (Michael) Song, 2015. "Grasp the Large, Let Go of the Small: The Transformation of the State Sector in China," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 46(1 (Spring), pages 295-366.
    17. Ricardo Molero-Simarro, 2015. "Functional distribution of income, aggregate demand, and economic growth in the Chinese economy, 1978-2007," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(4), pages 435-454, July.
    18. Jefferson, Gary H, 1998. "China's State Enterprises: Public Goods, Externalities, and Coase," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(2), pages 428-432, May.
    19. Bai, Chong-En & Li, David D. & Tao, Zhigang & Wang, Yijiang, 2000. "A Multitask Theory of State Enterprise Reform," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 716-738, December.
    20. Patrick Plane, 1997. "Privatization and economic growth: an empirical investigation from a sample of developing market economies," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(2), pages 161-178.
    21. Shang-Jin Wei & Zhuan Xie & Xiaobo Zhang, 2017. "From "Made in China" to "Innovated in China": Necessity, Prospect, and Challenges," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(1), pages 49-70, Winter.
    22. Li, Shaomin & Xia, Jun, 2008. "The Roles and Performance of State Firms and Non-State Firms in China's Economic Transition," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 39-54, January.
    23. Lawrence H Summers, 2014. "U.S. Economic Prospects: Secular Stagnation, Hysteresis, and the Zero Lower Bound," Business Economics, Palgrave Macmillan;National Association for Business Economics, vol. 49(2), pages 65-73, April.
    24. Samuel Bazzi & Michael A. Clemens, 2013. "Blunt Instruments: Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Identifying the Causes of Economic Growth," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 5(2), pages 152-186, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Lixia & Hao, Neng & Fang, Hui & Wu, Maoguo & Ma, Xinlei, 2023. "A model for measuring over-financialization: Evidence from Chinese companies," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Huang, Xianfeng & Li, Ping & Lotspeich, Richard, 2010. "Economic growth and multi-tasking by state-owned enterprises: An analytic framework and empirical study based on Chinese provincial data," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 160-177, June.
    2. Gary Jefferson, 2016. "State-Owned Enterprise in China: Reform, Performance, and Prospects," Working Papers 109R, Brandeis University, Department of Economics and International Business School, revised Mar 2017.
    3. Xiwei Zhu & Ye Liu & Ming He & Deming Luo & Yiyun Wu, 2019. "Entrepreneurship and industrial clusters: evidence from China industrial census," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(3), pages 595-616, March.
    4. Cubizol, Damien, 2018. "Transition and capital misallocation: the Chinese case," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 88-115.
    5. Cubizol, Damien, 2020. "Rebalancing in China: A taxation approach," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    6. Laiqun Jin & Changwei Mo & Bochao Zhang & Bing Yu, 2018. "What Is the Focus of Structural Reform in China?—Comparison of the Factor Misallocation Degree within the Manufacturing Industry with a Unified Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-19, November.
    7. Zheng Liu & Pengfei Wang & Zhiwei Xu, 2021. "Interest Rate Liberalization and Capital Misallocations," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 13(2), pages 373-419, April.
    8. Walheer, Barnabé & He, Ming, 2020. "Technical efficiency and technology gap of the manufacturing industry in China: Does firm ownership matter?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    9. Shuaizhang Feng & Naijia Guo, 2019. "Labor Market Dynamics in Urban China and the Role of the State Sector," Working Papers 2019-008, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    10. Zhang, Min & Zhang, Yahong, 2022. "Monetary stimulus policy in China: The bank credit channel," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    11. David Autor & David Dorn & Gordon Hanson, 2021. "On the Persistence of the China Shock," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 52(2 (Fall)), pages 381-476.
    12. Zhang, Qiong & Shi, Yupeng & He, Angda & Wen, Xueting, 2017. "Property rights security and firm survival: Micro-data evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 296-310.
    13. Rong, Zhao & Wu, Xiaokai & Boeing, Philipp, 2017. "The effect of institutional ownership on firm innovation: Evidence from Chinese listed firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(9), pages 1533-1551.
    14. Fang, Jing & He, Hui & Li, Nan, 2020. "China's rising IQ (Innovation Quotient) and growth: Firm-level evidence," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    15. Liu, Chong & Wang, Wei & Wu, Qunfeng, 2019. "Transportation infrastructure, competition and productivity: Theory and evidence from China," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 74-77.
    16. Lin William Cong & Sabrina T. Howell, 2021. "Policy Uncertainty and Innovation: Evidence from Initial Public Offering Interventions in China," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(11), pages 7238-7261, November.
    17. Cheng, Jiameng & Dai, Yanke & Lin, Shu & Ye, Haichun, 2021. "Clan culture and family ownership concentration: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    18. Feng, Shuaizhang & Guo, Naijia, 2019. "Labor Market Dynamics in Urban China and the Role of the State Sector," IZA Discussion Papers 12170, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Yao, Yao, 2019. "Does higher education expansion enhance productivity?," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 169-194.
    20. Gary Jefferson, 2016. "State-Owned Enterprise in China: Reform, Performance, and Prospects," Working Papers 109, Brandeis University, Department of Economics and International Business School.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    state-owned enterprises; economic growth; stabilizer; Chinese economy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E11 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Marxian; Sraffian; Kaleckian
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • P31 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Socialist Enterprises and Their Transitions

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:reorpe:v:52:y:2020:i:1:p:96-114. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.urpe.org/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.